Amplifier circuit employing floating error cancellation

Abstract

The present amplifier circuit employing floating error-cancellation technique eradicates errors and distortions by canceling them out at the speaker terminal. The circuit utilizes reference, main power, and error suspension amplifiers. The reference amplifier is a small signal amplifier with unity or near unity gain. The main function of the buffer amplifier is to provide a reference signal to be used to isolate the error signal. The main power amplifier is an inverting power amplifier without negative feedback, and whose main function is amplify the audio signal. The error suspension amplifier is a non-inverting power amplifier whose function is amplify the isolated error signal and provide an error potential to a speaker terminal so that the error can be canceled out at the speaker load.

I claim: 
     
       1. An audio amplifier circuit comprising: a reference amplifier for receiving an incoming signal and outputting a reference signal substantially identical to said incoming signal;   an inverting main amplifier for inverting and amplifying said reference signal from said reference amplifier and outputting an inverted main signal;   a means for normalizing said reference signal and inverted main signal to yield a normalized reference signal and a normalized inverted main signal;   a means for mixing said normalized reference signal and said normalized inverted main signal and outputting an isolated error signal; and   an error suspension amplifier for receiving and amplifying said isolated error signal and outputting an error-canceling signal; wherein said error-canceling signal is delivered to one terminal of a load and said inverted main signal is delivered to a second terminal of said load such that any error in said main signal is canceled out by said error-canceling signal.     
     
     
       2. The audio amplifier circuit as recited in claim 1 wherein said load is a speaker. 
     
     
       3. The audio amplifier circuit as recited in claim 1 wherein said means for normalizing comprises a set of resistors in series. 
     
     
       4. The audio amplifier circuit as recited in claim 1 wherein said means for mixing comprises a set of resistors in series. 
     
     
       5. The audio amplifier circuit as recited in claim 3 wherein said means for mixing comprises the set of resistors in series used for said means for mixing. 
     
     
       6. The audio amplifier circuit as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one of said reference amplifier, main power amplifier, or error suspension amplifier is a tube amplifier. 
     
     
       7. The audio amplifier circuit as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one of said reference amplifier, main power amplifier, or error suspension amplifier is solid-state amplifier. 
     
     
       8. An audio amplifier circuit comprising: a reference amplifier for receiving an incoming signal and outputting a reference signal substantially identical to said incoming signal;   a main amplifier for amplifying said reference signal from said reference amplifier and outputting a main signal;   a means for normalizing said reference signal and said main signal;   an error suspension amplifier for receiving said reference signal as first input and a normalized main signal as a second input, and outputting an error-canceling signal; wherein said error-canceling signal is delivered to one terminal of a load and said main signal is delivered to a second terminal of said load such that any error in said main signal is canceled out by said error-canceling signal.     
     
     
       9. A method of amplifying an audio signal without errors comprising: providing a reference signal substantially equal to said audio signal;   amplifying and inverting said reference signal to yield inverted main signal;   normalizing said reference signal and said inverted main signal to yield a normalized reference signal and normalized inverted main signal;   mixing said normalized reference signal and said normalized inverted main signal to yield an isolated error signal;   amplifying said isolated error signal to yield an error-canceling signal; and providing said inverted main signal to a first terminal of a load; and   providing said error-canceling signal to a second terminal of a load,   such that any error in the inverted main signal is canceled out by said error-canceling signal.     
     
     
       10. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein said load is a speaker. 
     
     
       11. A method of amplifying an audio signal without errors comprising: providing a reference signal substantially equal to said audio signal;   providing an inverted reference signal, said inverted reference signal being an inverted form of said reference signal;   amplifying said reference signal to yield a main signal;   normalizing said inverted reference signal and said main signal;   mixing said normalized inverted reference signal and said normalized main signal to yield isolated error signal;   normalizing said isolated error signal to yield error-canceling signal;   providing said main signal to a first terminal of a load; and   providing said error-canceling signal to a second terminal of a load, such that any error in the main signal is canceled out by said error-canceling signal.     
     
     
       12. A method of amplifying an audio signal without errors comprising: providing a reference signal substantially equal to said audio signal;   amplifying said reference signal to yield a main signal;   normalizing said main signal to yield a normalized main signal;   applying said reference signal to a first input of a differential amplifier and said normalized main signal to a second input of said differential amplifier to yield an error-canceling signal;   providing said main signal to a first terminal of a load; and   providing said error-canceling signal to a second terminal of a load, such that any error in the main signal is canceled out by said error-canceling signal.